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Denver Broncos, Von Miller practise for first time since drug suspension

It's been a dreadful summer for the Denver Broncos, with the news of Vonn Miller’s suspension and the arrest of two front office executives for separate drunk driving incidents in mid-June.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning told reporters that he's "all in on 2013." But that's all the 37-year-old would say when asked about Tom Brady's comments that he'd like to play into his 40s. (John Leyba / The Associated Press)

By Lindsay H. JonesUSA Today

Sat., July 27, 2013

ENGLEWOOD, COLO.—Von Miller was the final Broncos player on the field for the team’s first training camp practice Thursday, making his arrival amid a threat of a four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s drug policy.

It wasn’t long, however, before Miller was back to his disruptive self on the field. Lined up in his familiar strong side linebacker spot, Miller charged the line of scrimmage, leapt off the grass and swatted down a pass from quarterback Peyton Manning.

That’s the Miller his teammates are hoping to see come September. Miller has filed an appeal to the NFL to have his suspension lifted, though he has declined to say why he is being punished. If the suspension is upheld, Miller would miss games against Baltimore, the New York Giants, Oakland and Philadelphia.

“We have Von Miller’s back. We have everyone in this organization’s back,” Manning said.

For Manning, Miller and the rest of the Broncos, the two-hour practice was a welcome return to football after what has otherwise been a dreadful summer, with the news of Miller’s suspension and the arrest of two front office executives in separate drunken driving incidents since mid-June.

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They are hardly the type of issues Manning would like to address now, as his team embarks on a season with Super Bowl expectations.

“Am I disappointed?” Manning said, repeating the question he was asked near the end of his nine-minute news conference. “Well, I’m sure you would like to not have those problems. Most players would tell you that. But that’s football, and we know how to handle it.”

Manning applauded previous public statements by team president Joe Ellis in condemning the two front office DUIs, and said the string of off-field bad news will help the Broncos find out “who the rats are.”

“This is when you find out who sticks with you when times are tough,” Manning said. “Who is going to jump ship? It’s easy when you’re rolling along on an 11-game winning streak, everything is going good. You have some adversity come your way, how do you respond, how do you handle it?”

Being back at practice will certainly help, even if the first day back on the field wasn’t entirely smooth for Manning and the Broncos’ offence.

Manning and his receivers appeared out of sync at times, with Manning failing to connect on several throws to Eric Decker, and others to Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker, misses Manning attributed to a combination of rust and hustle by Denver’s defensive backs.

Manning usually shies away from questions about his health, but now a full year removed from daily missives about the state of his neck and right arm, Manning seemed comfortable in admitting he feels stronger. The successes in the weight room, though, have done less for his confidence than just spending time with Welker, Decker and Thomas.

“When you have your timing better down with your teammates, that’s certainly when, in my past, it has allowed for more precise throws, more confident throws,” Manning said.

With his comeback season behind him, and such big expectations in front of him, it is reasonable to wonder just how much longer Manning, 37, will play. His top contemporary, New England’s Tom Brady, told theMMQB.com earlier this week that he wants to play into his 40s.

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